Sano Diaries

A Difficult Seperation

Chapter 07 - A DIFFICULT SEPERATION

The group finally left for Nagano, not knowing what danger lay ahead. The journey was slow, but the first day went by without incident. The second day was another story. The group was just outside of Tokyo when what they saw made them stop in their tracks. About 200 men carrying katanas were headed their way. They decided to hide in the bushes until the men passed. Luckily, they overheard some of the men talking about bringing down Tokyo, and something about Akiyama's first real victory. When the group of men were far enough away Kenshin's group emerged from the bushes.

KAORU: What are we going to do Kenshin?

KENSHIN: There's only one thing we can do… split up. Sano and I will go to Nagano to try and stop Akiyama. You three go back to Tokyo and warn the police chief, then do everything you can to protect the people.

SAKURA: NO WAY! I'm coming with you!

KENSHIN: (putting a hand on Sakura 's shoulder and looking sternly into her eyes) Sakura-dono, you saw how many men there were. Kaoru, Yahiko, and the people of Tokyo are going to need your skills to make it through this. The Tendo Ryu was meant to protect people. I'm counting on you.

Without another word Kenshin and Sano began to walk away. Sakura stood there speechless as Kenshin and Sano headed toward Nagano. Sano had to catch one last glimpse; he looked over his shoulder at Sakura. His gaze was so strong she could feel it. Their eyes met like magnets, neither wanting to be the first to look away. Then Sano tripped over a rather large rock in the road, breaking the intense mood of the separation. Kenshin seemed clueless as to what was going on. Sakura turned around and began walking back to Tokyo with the others.

KAORU: Sakura, don't worry.

SAKURA: What?

KAORU: Come on, we're sisters. I know that you are worried about Sano, but you don't need to be. Kenshin is with him and he won't let anything bad happen.

SAKURA: Is Kenshin that reliable?

KAORU: (without hesitation) Yes. I will believe in Kenshin until the day I die.

YAHIKO: C'mon you guys, we need to hurry!

Kaoru, Sakura, and Yahiko take a shortcut and rush to arrive in Tokyo before the men with katanas get there. Once they arrive, they inform the police chief of the men headed for town ready to cause trouble. They also inform him of Akiyama's whereabouts and plans. The police chief was notified that Kenshin and Sano went after Akiyama in Nagano. The police chief takes this information seriously and sends out troops to alert the citizens and to protect the people.

Before long Akiyama's men are in Tokyo and start causing trouble. They spread out into small groups of 5 and 10, and moved throughout the city hoping to maximize their chaos. But to their surprise they were met by the police and three others who did a pretty good job of thwarting their efforts to cause mayhem. The fight in Tokyo would be a long one, especially since Akiyama's men had broken into small groups. However, this is the very thing that made them easier to fight and dispose of. Otherwise the odds would have really been stacked against Kenshin's group.

The fighting went on and on. At one point it seemed as if there were an infinite number of troops. The sun had long since gone down and dawn was growing near. The fighting had finally come to an end and Kaoru, Yahiko, and Sakura managed to escape with only minor injuries. Everyone had cuts and bruises, but nothing too serious. They walked home exhausted, wondering how the guys were managing without them.